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What is Reform Judaism?

During the Festival of Sukkot it is customary to invite famous people from the past to be our ushpizin (“guests” in Aramaic) in the sukkah, the temporary huts we build to celebrate the harvest festival.
This year, I would like to invite Jesus to be my guest in the sukkah – to chat about this verse from Genesis: “So God created the human beings in the Divine image, creating them in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27).
To begin the conversation, I would point to one of the most beautiful verses in Scripture from Psalm 8:6: “For you have made humanity little lower than the angels…” As much as... Read More

On Saturday, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, Jews will fast all day and read a passage from Isaiah 58. The passage seeks to inspire the Shavay Zion, those who had returned from Babylon to Israel, to rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem, walls which had been destroyed by the Babylonians.
People from your midst shall rebuild ancient ruins,
You shall restore foundations laid long ago.
And you shall be called
“Repairer of fallen walls,
Restorer of lanes for habitation.”
Friends, the walls seem to be falling and they seem to be in need of repair. With... Read More

The Jerusalem Post has released its list of the 50 most influential Jews in the world, and whether or not you agree with its choices, it’s probably no surprise that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner top this year’s list, followed by Israeli actress Gal Gadot and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Who else made the list? You’ll have to visit the Jerusalem Post for the whole list, but there are a few folks on it we’re particularly excited about: four individuals who will speak at the Union for Reform Judaism’s upcoming 2017 Biennial Convention, held December 6-10 in Boston, MA.
Anat Hoffman... Read More

While my synagogue has switched to Mishkan T'filah, the Reform siddur (prayer book) used during weekdays, Shabbat, and festivals, we’ve yet to begin using Mishkan HaNefesh, the new Reform machzor (High Holiday prayer book).
On Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, we use an older version of the machzor titled Gates of Repentance, which includes gendered language such as Lord and “He” (when referencing God). This year, our congregational clergy made a concerted effort to locate as many gender-neutral versions of Gates of Repentance as possible, with the goal of collecting more than 1,000... Read More

I often say that I owe my life to my summer camp director – but I don’t mean it in a “he saved my life” kind of way. Rather, when I look at the path my life has followed, the major pillars of my identity are rooted in the lessons I learned at camp and the relationships that started there.
As a young kid, I was actively involved in many types of Jewish activities. I grew up in an amazing synagogue; attended religious school and Hebrew school; celebrated Shabbat with dinner and candle-lighting, services and Israeli dancing; I spent countless summers at a local Jewish day camp. I have fond... Read More